Triggers
by OathKeeper717
Summary: Oneshot. Post Rebellion. MadoMami. She stuck out for some reason and for the life of her Madoka couldn't figure out why.


**I don't even own Madoka Magica. Just playing in the Sandbox.**

 **Triggers**

She stuck out for some reason and for the life of her Madoka couldn't figure out why.

She was older than her, an upperclassman and a rather pretty one at that. She had blonde hair styled in drills that bounced when she walked, her eyes seemed to shine when she talked to friends and every time Madoka saw her walking down the hallways in school her heart would start pounding.

She was fascinated with this girl she didn't even know why.

Madoka hadn't been back from America for very long, a month or so at best, and she was having trouble sliding back into the lifestyle she had before she left the city three years ago. Back then things were easy, back then she'd wake up in the morning, have a nice breakfast with her family and then walk to school with her two best friends in the world, Sayaka and Hitomi. She'd go through school, hang out with them for a bit after school, and then head home to do homework and spend time with her family before repeating the process the next day. It was a cozy routine that had been shattered when Madoka had been forced to move away. Now Hitomi had a boyfriend that she walked to school with and Sayaka was busy either arguing with Kyouko, bantering with Kyouko, shooting poisonous looks at the nurse's aide, or staring out of the window with a faraway look in her eyes. So Madoka took to wandering the halls when she had free time and that's what lead her to where the upperclassman resided. Where _she_ resided.

Madoka wanted to say hi to the mysterious blonde, she wanted nothing more than to go over there and strike up some sort of conversation with her. To be friends with her. A smaller part of her mind wouldn't mind being a bit more than that but that part was quickly hushed. For one reason or another Madoka was drawn to this girl and it hurt her heart that she couldn't make herself go over there. But why would someone as graceful and beautiful as this blonde have anything to do with someone as plain and average as her? It wasn't like Madoka had anything about her that stood out and made people go _wow she sure is neat!_ She was a nobody who didn't have the greatest of grades or was any good at sports or was even particularly popular. There wasn't anything she could do to change that. Part of Madoka was convinced that they would get along like water and oil, that the upperclassman would very quickly grow bored of her. What would they even talk about? But another part of her, the part that whispered she wasn't as worthless as she thought she was, was convinced this girl in front of her wouldn't care if she was boring or bad at everything or just a plain vanilla underclassman. The two sides fought each other as Madoka kept seeking out the object of her fascination day after day, trying to work up the courage to just go over there and say hello.

 _It won't hurt anything_. It was a typical Wednesday and Madoka felt like maybe today was the day she'd go over and introduce herself. Her confident side was overruling her negative side and her face was getting a little hot as she tried to think up a few conversation starters. Weather? No no, who was interested in that? Schoolwork? Maybe, but what if the other girl didn't even like school? Sayaka certainly didn't like talking about the place when they weren't actually there. Then something came to her, something seemingly random but the moment it crossed her mind Madoka knew that's the topic that she'd use to break the ice.

Cooking.

Plan set Madoka moved forward and when she did the blonde just so happened to catch sight of her from across the hallway. Their eyes met and Madoka's breath caught in her throat because _she knew this girl_. Judging by the flash of emotion in the other girl's eyes the feeling wasn't just something Madoka was having. In fact the girl started to move towards her as well. Madoka's pace quickened as thoughts began to buzz around her head. Scattered pieces of memories and feelings that shouldn't belong to her but for some reason they did.

 _Will you really stay with me?_

 _But then I met you, Mami. And you showed me what it's like to stand up for people and really help them._

 _Well, let's say I'm glad you're going into it with that spirit._

 _You're right. I'm not alone_

It was strange. The hallway wasn't a very long one but it seemed like no matter how many steps they took towards each other, the distance between Madoka and the upperclassman never seemed to change.

 _And then, when I found out that I might be able to do the same thing, I don't think I've been happier in my life._

 _Will you really stay with me?_

 _Oh, look at this. It isn't the sort of behavior you'd expect from a role model, is it?_

 _A celebration to announce the two of us becoming…._

 _ **I'll**_ _remember her. I'll never forget her. Never! I promise!_

 _I see. Mami Tomoe's lucky. She'd be happy to hear that. How I envy her._

This wasn't just some random girl. Madoka knew that now for an absolute fact. This girl, she was important. So very important to her.

 _Madoka, do you realize how scary that wish you made was?_

 _Sort of._

 _You're not just giving us back our hope, but you're becoming hope itself; the hope of magical girls everywhere._

 _I can't look uncool in front of my magical girl trainees_

 _If someone ever tells me it's a mistake to have hope, well then I'll just tell them they're wrong and I'll keep telling them until they believe; no matter how many times it takes._

This girl put her on a different path. A path that Madoka could walk with her head held high, a path that would make her into something that she so desperately wanted to be. Madoka didn't know how it was possible but the two of them had met before, had formed a bond. Madoka wanted it back, she wanted to know this girl again. Her heart screamed for it and in unison the girls were running towards each other, just how long was this hallway?!

 _I found someone who's willing to fight by my side from now on! Will you really stay with me?_

 _Yes. If someone like me will do._

… _.a magical girl duo!_

Time stopped.

Everything seemed to freeze and the world took on a gray tint as Madoka suddenly stumbled and fell. The blonde was unmoving, her hand outstretched towards Madoka, her golden eyes wide with anguish and longing.

"I should have seen this coming."

An emotionless voice sounded from behind her and Madoka slowly rose to her feet, tearing her eyes away from the frozen girl to see just who it was that had spoken.

It was Homura.

But her eyes were glowing with a purple light that sent shivers down Madoka's spine. She took a step back and Homura frowned, a look of hurt flashing across her face before her eyes moved over to the girl behind Madoka. The hurt was replaced with disgust.

"Your memories are resilient." Homura said quietly, moving towards Madoka. It was almost like she was gliding. Madoka took a deep breath, fighting down the alien feeling of fear that had risen inside of her. She didn't have any reason to be afraid of Homura. Did she?

"The smallest of triggers will open the floodgates and send them all rushing back to you." Homura spoke again, moving around Madoka and coming to a stop in front of her companion "Of course, this isn't exactly a small trigger."

"Homura.." Madoka's voice caught in her throat as another memory injected itself into her mind's eye. Homura grabbing her, Homura telling her that she'd been waiting for this moment. Pain.

Horrible pain.

"Homura… why?" tears filled Madoka's eyes as she _remembered_. Homura clearly noticed and sighed, looking resigned.

"It was the only way to save you."

"I didn't want to be saved!"

Homura shook her head, looking over at Mami with something like disdain in her eyes.

"She always got to you first." Homura whispered "In almost every loop, almost every timeline, I could never stop her from getting to you. From filling your mind with false promises. No matter how hard I tried I was never as important to you as Mami Tomoe."

"That's not true!" Madoka snapped "You were my best friend! You were just as irreplaceable to me as Mami! You still can be!"

Homura scoffed "All I have to do is drop the barrier right? Let things go back to the way they were before?"

Madoka bit her lip, the answer to the question in her eyes. Homura closed hers, face set in a cold denial.

"It's clear to me now," Homura opened her eyes again, a determination in them born from countless months of reliving the same hellish sequence of events over and over again, a determination to protect Madoka from the things that she viewed as wrong. The darkness that existed in the universe that Madoka should never have to face "things haven't changed."

"Homura.."

"As long as you even so much as look at Mami Tomoe you'll resist me." Homura said "If she's in your life then it will be impossible for you to be happy, to be safe."

It suddenly dawned on Madoka where Homura was going with this.

"Homura." A note of warning entered her voice, a divine light starting to shine in her eyes.

"No matter where you go, no matter what life you lead, Mami Tomoe is a venom that will cause your everything to crash all around you. It's obvious to me now and it should have been obvious to me before." Homura said as she slowly raised her hands.

"How long?" Madoka's voice was close to breaking "How long until you cross the line? Until you do something that I can't forgive you for?" Madoka was openly crying and Homura wavered for just a second before she quickly recovered.

"I told you didn't I?" her voice was the very definition of bitterness "One day we'll be enemies."

"Homura NO!"

 _Clap._

She stuck out for some reason and for the life of her Madoka couldn't figure out why.

She was older than her, an upperclassman and a rather pretty one at that. She had blonde hair styled in drills that bounced when she walked, her eyes seemed to shine when she talked to friends and every time Madoka saw her walking down the hallways in school her heart would start pounding.

She was repulsed by this girl she didn't even know why.


End file.
